FLEETWOOD, Pa., (Feb. 22, 2006) The Ford Quality Checked Certified Pre-owned-backed Chris Carr Racing program announced today that it will run the new KTM 450 SMR beginning at the March 9th season opener in Daytona Beach for the 2006 AMA Flat Track Championship.
“KTM has given us the pieces to do the deal, a weapon that’s capable of winning some GNC Singles races,” said Carr. “We build and maintain them ourselves, turn the Kenny Tolbert (Carr’s crew chief) magic loose on them and hopefully I can go out there and ride ‘em as good as he builds them.”
Added KTM’s John Zolikoff: “Chris Carr is an excellent ambassador of the sport of motorcycle racing and KTM is again pleased to be an integral part of his race program. We look forward to cheering Chris on at the GNC Singles races through out the summer on the AMA Flat Track Championship tour.”
Entering his third year as a factory support rider for KTM, Carr says he’s looking forward to the new “stock” format the AMA has instilled in its Flat Track Championship short track program. The new rules for ’06 do away with racers being allowed to bore the 450cc bikes out to a 505cc.
“We’re familiar with the KTM package and agree with the AMA’s adoption of stock displacement,” said Carr. “The class will be even more competitive than it was last year, hopefully drawing in additional manufacturers to compete while lessening the expense of having to bore and stroke the motor.”
So far on the AMA Flat Track Championship schedule there are five GNC Singles races beginning with a double header at Daytona Beach’s Municipal Stadium, Peoria (Illinois) TT and two races (TT and a short track) in Springfield (Illinois). Last year at the Daytona season opener Carr finished on the podium, in second place, then just off the podium twice in Peoria and Springfield.
This past week Chris Carr Racing did initial testing on the new KTMs at Mid Carolina Speedway in Neeses, South Carolina. He returns to Twin Class racing on his Lancaster Harley-supported Harley-Davison XR750 in May, with a couple tests scheduled during April.
The current AMA Flat Track champion, winningest active racer in the sport, with 72 wins and seven AMA Flat Track championship titles, the Chris Carr legend continues. For more information on Chris Carr, visit his website at www.chriscarr.com.
